This invention generally relates to automobile convertible tops, and particularly to convertible tops that utilize a tension cable to hold the top down for a tight fit against the convertible top frame and other components such as side weather seals and side windows.
Many automobile manufacturers offer models with convertible or soft tops that are very popular with consumers as they provide the option and flexibility to drive with the top raised in the covered position or with the top down in the uncovered position to enhance the driving enjoyment. However, one of the drawbacks associated with soft tops is that when they are in the raised position, they do not provide as quiet a passenger compartment as compared to automobiles with hard tops. This noise problem is partly due to the fact that the soft material used for convertible tops, typically a form of cloth material, generally does not have good sound blocking characteristics. Another reason for the increased passenger compartment noise in convertible automobiles is the fact that the lower edges of the soft top does not form a tight seal against other structural components such as the frame of the soft top and the side door windows, thereby resulting in a source of air leakage and increased wind noise inside the passenger compartment.
For many years, manufacturers of convertible tops have incorporated side tension cables in the design of convertible soft top systems, wherein at each lower side edge of the soft top a cable is attached at its two ends to the collapsible frame mechanism of the soft top above the weather seals that rest adjacent the side door windows when the doors are closed and the side windows are rolled up. In these existing convertible top systems, the tension cable is housed in a sleeve created by a single piece or two spaced apart patches of soft material that attach to the interior surface of the main soft top to create a pocket or channel for the cable to run through. In this manner, upon raising the convertible top and latching it shut, the cable is stretched and placed in tension, and with the cable inside the channel formed in the cable sleeve, the goal is to utilize the cable as a means to force the lower side edges of the soft top to remain at a downward position against the frame of the soft top and the weather seals over the upper edges of the side door windows to create a better seal and a shingling or overlapping effect.
However, these existing designs have not been without problems. For example, due to the relatively large width of the channel opening in the cable sleeve, the cable sleeve often floats and moves up around the tension cable, thus causing the soft top to also move up and create a gap between the lower edge of the soft top and the weather seal, which greatly contributes to increased air leakage and wind noise. In addition, in such existing designs, the soft top tends to slide and shrink upward until the lower edge of the cable sleeve rests against the tension cable, which is itself positioned higher than the upper edges of the side door window. This problem essentially interferes with and reduces the desirable shingling or overlapping effect described above, as it makes it very difficult to have a good tight seal between the lower side edges of the soft top and the weather seal and the side door window, which creates problems with wind noise and also creates a gap to allow leakage of water inside the automobile.
Another problem with existing convertible tops is that the patch(es) or strip(s) of material forming the cable sleeve is typically connected to the soft top by means of stitching the sleeve patch(es) or strip(s) directly to the soft top. The penetration of the stitching through the soft top creates tiny holes that are unsightly and also are a potential source for leakage of water and transfer of moisture from the outside surface of the soft top to the inside.
The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems and shortcomings by providing an improved partitioned cable sleeve that limits the movement of the sleeve and the soft top in relation to the tension cable in a narrower channel which has its lowest boundary that is positioned closer to the tension cable. This improved design uses the stationary tension cable to keep the lower side edges of the soft top further down and closer to the soft top frame to form a better seal and create a better shingling effect over the other structural members of the automobile such as the weather seal and the side door window that rests against the weather seal. The improved design of the invention also enhances the shape of the soft top by keeping it fully stretched and reducing its shrinkage and upward movement. Furthermore, the present invention utilizes an intermediate material that can bond the cable sleeve to the interior of the soft top by use of various bonding methods, thereby eliminating the holes created by the direct stitching of the cable sleeve to the soft top.